Holladay planning commission approves Highland Park PUD amendment, urges developer to save large trees

HOLLADAY — The Holladay Planning Commission on Monday approved a site-plan modification for the Highland Park planned unit development at 4880 South Highland Circle that authorizes additional tree removals tied to updated building and roadway footprints while requiring replacement tree plantings.

City staff and the applicant told the commission that the PUD, originally approved in 2022 for 11 townhomes, had limited tree removals to building and road footprints, but a subsequent arborist assessment identified additional trees outside those footprints that would be severely affected by proposed grading and road placement. City staff said the applicant's replacement plan shows roughly 11,745 square feet of replacement canopy versus just over 9,000 square feet of existing canopy identified in the packet.

Why it matters: Commissioners and neighbors said the redevelopment affects mature trees that provide privacy and neighborhood character. The commission approved the modification but emphasized preserving notable trees where feasible and required that any significant deviations from the approved removal or planting plan return to the commission for review.

City staff Carrie Marsh said the replacement plan disperses canopy into a larger number of smaller trees along rights-of-way and larger specimens in open areas, and reiterated RM-zone lot-coverage rules: buildings and roads may cover up to 60% of the lot, with 40% required landscaping coverage. "They're replacing just over 9,000 square feet of existing canopy with about 11,745 square feet," Marsh said.

Applicant Alec Moffett, representing Sequoia Development, walked commissioners through a tree-by-tree assessment and said many trees near the proposed road and building footprints are dead or dying, or would lose critical root area and not survive construction. "We're really only trying to take out trees that are sick or dying or going to be adversely affected by construction," Moffett said, adding the developer's goal is to save trees where possible.

Neighbors and developer representatives spoke during the public hearing. Joseph Amici, a resident of the adjacent Chateau Ferrette condominium, said he supported "anything that can be done to expedite the building process, including the proposed changes with the replacement canopy trees," and asked the applicant to maintain the site during delays. Kevin Ludlow, founder of Sequoia Development, said construction delays removed irrigation and contributed to declining tree health.

Commissioners asked whether the applicant's arborist had ties to a tree-removal company; staff confirmed the assessment in the packet came from Diamond Tree Experts, which prompted discussion about how much deference to give that assessment. Commissioners also questioned inconsistencies between the tree-removal plan and the planting plan shown in the packet, including whether a large willow at the front of the site that had earlier been flagged as "do not disturb" would be retained. The applicant requested explicit approval to remove that willow if construction impacts make it untenable; staff said the planting plan in the packet does not show the willow being retained.

Several commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on whether the commission could require larger-caliper replacement trees or interim irrigation to preserve existing specimens. Staff replied replacement standards are caliper- and canopy-based (replacement trees are typically required at about 1.5-inch caliper) and that the commission's formal authority to mandate initial larger specimens is limited under the ordinance.

Motion and vote: Commissioner Vilchinski moved to approve the site-plan amendment for the Highland Park PUD, finding it complies with allowed uses in the RM zone and that replacement canopy provisions preserve future site characteristics. The motion included conditions that tree removals be limited to those designated, that replacement trees be planted as shown, and that significant deviations return to the planning commission for approval. The motion also urged — but did not condition — preserving trees 4 and 5 on the west perimeter and the front willow (tree 2) if possible. The motion was seconded and passed with four aye votes (including Commissioner Cunningham, Commissioner Gong and Chair Commissioner Prince). The commission recorded no no votes.

Next steps: With approval granted, the applicant may proceed with engineering and building plans consistent with the approved site plan and planting plan; any significant change to designated removals or the planting scheme must return to the planning commission. The commission noted the next meeting is scheduled for July 15.

Votes at a glance

- Site-plan modification, Highland Park PUD (4880 South Highland Circle): Approved. Motion by Commissioner Vilchinski; second by an attending commissioner. Vote: 4 ayes, 0 nays. Conditions require planting the replacement trees shown and require commission review of significant deviations.

(Quotations in this report come from the public meeting record.)